Operation Drive 4...

My observation after two weeks of driving on Mumbai roads...

Driving is too exhausting to even think of multitasking. 

I can just about do the following:

1. checking the rear view mirror, driver side view mirror; passenger side view mirror 
2. dodging pedestrians, stray dogs and pigeons (I almost killed a pigeon today)
3. remembering to change the gears
4. checking the traffic lights
5. ignoring drivers who think they are in a race car.
6. going carefully around really expensive sell-you-house-to-pay-for-damages type cars
7. ignoring the honking cars behind you and finally
8. remembering to BREATHE during it all...

Is just too much...

Update 2nd November 2012 : I've confidently driven from Powai to Andheri in the peak hour traffic today, though the less said about Uncle D's nerves the better, I believe Uncle D's nerves are never going to be the same..

One gear at a time...

The title of this post is inspired by the hymn "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus", which was one of Sister C's favourite, back in school, the other one being "Every morning when the day has begun", but I digress. What I am trying to drive at (pun unintended) is the fact that I've started driving and am taking it one gear at a time...

This morning I finally decided to bite the bullet and drive the car properly. My driver whom we shall call Uncle D, for that is what I call him, suggested that we go to Lokhandwala Complex, as it has several back roads where many a novice driver has honed his/ her skills. Accordingly this morning we left home around seven thirty in the morning. As we arrived at the junction where we turn in for Lokhandwala, Uncle D turns to me and says,"So, would you like to take over??"

I was like,"What!!!, Here!!!, Now!!!, you mean like here on the main road, with live people walking around??, No way, Jose, you bring me to the deserted roads you promised!!". Smiling like Cheshire cat, Uncle D drove further down the road, where the promised land awaited me.

I took over and the driving lessons began and I soon noticed that driving a sedan is much much easier than driving a Fiat (I got my licence on a Fiat, so now you know how many moons ago I got my driving licence). The gears move smoothly, the steering also does not need manual labour (I used to literally pant while trying to turn the Fiat into a full right or full left). After doing a few rounds on deserted roads (by deserted I mean there were a few of those late joggers, bicyclers and walkers and other novice drivers), Uncle D directed me to go towards the main road and told me to take a right turn at the main Lokhandwala Circle. We arrived at the Circle and the Saturday morning traffic had started in full swing.

After waiting for a few minutes looking for a break in traffic when I could take the right turn, I was like, "Ulp, do I have to do it??, I can't do this, can we not take another route?" and Uncle D very firmly said "No, we go this way!". With an answer like that the only way to go was forward and with my heart somewhere in the region of my stomach I moved forward. All the while I prayed to God and also forgave all those who sinned against me and before you knew it, we were on the other side of the road!!!

After a few more rounds,  I was ready to go home, but Uncle D was like a couple more rounds and then we can go home. Honestly the additional rounds did help and when it was time to go home, I was feeling confident enough to drive home, and that is what I did...

I confidently drove from Lokhandwala Complex to Veera Desai Road, a distance of about 15 mins... with full on Saturday traffic notwithstanding!!!

Mumbai Marathon 2

As promised, details of the NGO that I am trying to raise funds for...

For the past 40 years Apnalaya has been helping children living in slums towards a better life. The main area of work is Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, with communities around the dumping ground. It strives to achieve this through urban community developments projects in Mumbai. Its role is one of empowerment: of encouraging ordinary men and women to believe in themselves and in their abilities to change their lives for the better. 

The main activities undertaken by Apnalaya are in the following areas:

1)Health : They provide basic medical facilities in the form of weekly general and ANC Clinics, immunization and growth monitoring programs for children, supplementary nutrition programmes, TB Awareness, General Health awareness programmes, Counselling to HIV/AIDS patients and support to the affected families.

2) Education: One of Apnalaya's prime objectives is to work for children, to help then grow up to a better life; and they believe that the key to achieving this is education. They reach out to children through programmes such as balwadis and study classes, sponsorships and recreation, and to larger numbers through community programmes, offering training and support for community groups to run similar programmes. 

3) Empowerment: Apnalaya works towards the empowerment of women by providing vocational training and helps them form support groups.

You can read more about Apnalaya by following this link:

Details of how you sponsor me will follow shortly (still in the process of registering and completing the other formalities)...Looking forward to your support :)
...

Operation Drive 3

Sooooo I have found a driver who is willing to risk it while I drive. Come tomorrow I shall embark on my journey towards independence or on my final journey, depending on how we manage as a team on the roads.

May the force be with us... :))

Mumbai Marathon...

I've been called various things in the past and 'Escapist' is one of them, I'm not proud of this fact and do admit that in the past on many occasions I've always chosen the easy way out by running away from  problems and blocking people out of my life. Also life has been kind enough to me which is evidenced by what my good friend and mentor P1 once told me, "You sure are lucky, whenever you want a break, you get one!'. 

Well, all I can say now is that I'm done running from problems and if the past two years are any indication I've proved that I'm quite capable of tackling any problem life may throw at me. With this new found resolve I've decided to use my years of 'running practice' to good use by running to raise funds for charity. Encouraged by my performance in the footsteps4good Walkathon, I plan to raise funds for an NGO by running the 21 km Half Marathon at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and have already started training for it. 

Now let us shift the focus on you, you too can be part of this noble cause by sponsoring me, on my part I promise you that I will complete the Half Marathon, even if it means that I have to crawl across the finish line...

I'll will put up more details of the NGO that I'm supporting and as to how you can make a contribution  shortly...watch out this space for more...

Footsteps4good...

 

So I took part in the 10 km charity walk organised by Footsteps4good. To take part in the event, participants needed to make a donation to a charity of their choice and my company decided to go with Magic Bus. Magic Bus is an NGO that uses Activity Based Curriculum (ABC), a unique model that  uses games to make change. The games excel in building physical, social and personal skills.

Coming back to yours truly, I honestly went there for a lark. D was all enthusiastic about taking part in the event and some of her infectious enthusiasm rubbed off on staid old me and in a moment of madness I signed up for the walk, all the while thinking, "I'll walk for a couple of kilometers and then beat it, no one is going to notice a missing walker.' What I had not bargained for was that fact that half the junta at the walkathon had the same thought process. 

However I can proudly say that I not only completed the 10 km walk I did it in good time - 1 hour 53 minutes... my personal best record. Also thanks to this event, come January 2013 I might just be able to run on behalf of an NGO at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon!!!

Cheers to life...